Today’s post is sponsored by Leanne Schwartz and To A Darker Shore!
Title To A Darker Shore
Author Leanne Schwartz
Intended Target Audience Young Adult
Publication Date April 30th 2024 by Page Street YA
Find It On Goodreads ● Amazon ● Chapters ● Blackwell’s ● Barnes & Noble ● IndieBound
When her best friend is sacrificed to the devil, she’ll go to hell and back for him
Plain, poor, plus-size, and autistic, Alesta grew up trying to convince her beauty-obsessed kingdom that she’s too useful to be sacrificed. Their god blessed their island Soladisa as a haven for his followers, but to keep the devil at bay, the church sends a child sacrifice to hell’s entrance every season ― often poor or plain girls just like Alesta.
With a head full of ideas for inventions, Alesta knows her best shot at making it to adulthood is to design something impressive for the festival exhibition so she might win a spot in the university ― acceptance could guarantee her safety. But Alesta’s flying machine demonstration goes awry, a failure that will surely mean death. What happens is worse: Her best friend and heir to the throne, Kyrian, takes the blame expecting leniency but ends up sacrificed in her place.
To stop the sacrifices forever, Alesta plans to kill the monster that killed her friend. Prepared to save her kingdom or die trying, she travels to the depths of hell only to find Kyrian ― alive, but monstrously transformed.
There is no escaping hell or their growing feelings for one another, and the deeper they descend into hell, the closer they come to uncovering a truth about the sacrifices that threatens to invoke the wrath of not only monsters but the gods as well.
Do! Judge A Book By Its Cover is a regular feature on Pop! Goes The Reader in which I pay tribute to some of the best and brightest the publishing world has to offer in the way of book cover design.
Please Note: As always, I’ve done my best to credit the designers and artists responsible for the stunning covers below, but was unable to find this information for a number of those listed. If you know of an uncredited designer and/or artist responsible for any of these book covers or if I’ve credited someone incorrectly, please let me know and I would be happy to include proper attribution in this post. Their work is lovely and deserves attribution.
01. All This Twisted Glory by Tahereh Mafi
02. What Monstrous Gods by Rosamund Hodge
Cover art by Lorena Lammer
03. Draw Down The Moon by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast
04. Song of the Six Realms by Judy I. Lin
Cover design by Rich Deas, Cover art by Sija Hong
05. Legend of the White Snake by Sher Lee
Cover design by Joel Tippie, Cover art by Kuri Huang
06. Sound The Gong by Joan He
Cover design by Aurora Parlagreco, Cover art by Kuri Huang
07. A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal
Cover design by Aurora Parlagreco, Cover art by Valentina Remenar
08. Blood At The Root by LaDarrion Williams
Cover design by Liz Dresner, Cover art by Hillary D. Wilson
09. Where The Library Hides by Isabel Ibañez
Cover design by Kerri Resnick, Cover art by Micaela Alcaino
10. Off With Their Heads by Zoe Hana Mikuta
Cover design by Zareen Johnson, Cover art by Tran Nguyen
11. Dragonfruit by Makiia Lucier
Cover art by Tran Nguyen
12. Ami by S. Jae-Jones
Cover design by Kerri Resnick, Cover art by Sija Hong
13. It Waits In The Forest by Sarah Dass
Cover design by Phil Buchanan, Cover art by Hillary D. Wilson
14. The Girl With No Reflection by Keshe Chow
Cover design by Casey Moses, Cover art by Victo Ngai
15. Of Jade and Dragons by Amber Chen
Cover design by Lily Kim Qian and Ellice Lee, Cover art by Kelly Chong
16. Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao
Cover design by Terri Nimmo, Cover art by Ashley Mackenzie
17. The Second Son by Adrienne Tooley
Cover design by Karina Granda, Cover art by Gemma O’Brien
18. The Lady of Rapture by Sarah Raughley
Cover art by Khadijah Khatib
19. The Poisons We Drink by Bethany Baptiste
Cover art by Michael Machira Mwangi
20. Rapunzella, Or, Don’t Touch My Hair by Ella McLeod
Cover art by Alex Cabal
21. Saint-Seducing Gold by Brittany N. Williams
Cover design by Chelsea Hunter, Cover art by Fernanda Suarez
21. In The Shallows by Tanya Byrne
22. Blood Justice by Terry J. Benton-Walker
Cover design by Lesley Worrell, Cover art by Tomasz Majewski
24. Call Forth A Fox by Markelle Grabo
Cover design by Laura Benton, Cover art by Gaby Verdooren
25. Infinity Alchemist by Kacen Callender
Cover design by Esther S. Kim, Cover art by Chris Sack
26. The Monstrous Kind by Lydia Gregovic
Cover design by Liz Dresner, Cover art by Christin Engelberth
00. Gentlest of Wild Things by Sarah Underwood
Cover design by Micaela Alcaino, Cover art by Micaela Alcaino
27. Practical Rules For Cursed Witches by Kayla Cottingham
Cover design by Liz Dresner, Cover art by Dani Pendergast
28. Fyrebirds by Kate J. Armstrong
Cover design by Jessica Jenkins, Cover art by Jessica Jenkins
29. Warrior of Legend by Kendare Blake
Cover design by Dave Curtis, Cover art by Tomasz Majewski
30. The Witch of Wol Sin Lake by Lena Jeong
Cover design by Chris Kwon, Cover art by Priscilla Kim
